How To Breathe Better Today
Do you know the most vital function of your body that you have been neglecting all this while? It's breathing!
Yes! You got me right! It's the simple, almost unnoticeable, and yet the most vital act your body does 24/7 to keep you alive.
Have you ever heard the therapists on television asking people to " Breathe in, Breathe Out"?
It might seem a bit crazy at times because there isn't much to breathing, right?
Well, guess what?
You, my friend, are mistaken. There is a right and a wrong way of breathing, and it can highly impact your overall health and well-being.
8 Ways to Breathe Better
Breathing right is the basic foundation for a healthy you. Get it right and see all the rest coming into place.
Let's take a brief look into what exactly needs to be corrected and how you can sort out your breathing patterns.
Breathe Through Your Nose and Belly
There are ways to maximize your lung capacity and lung function. Start by consciously breathing through the nose and not the mouth.
Sometimes, it becomes necessary to utilize your mouth for breathing, e.g., after a strenuous exercise. Still, there is a lot that cannot be compensated by mouth.
Nostrils have a system to purify, warm up, and humidify the air you breathe. This can really help when it is cold and dry outside.
The second step to your proper breathing should be to take the air deep into your belly. This will maximize the airflow into your lungs, building negative pressure on your chest.
This type of breathing is also called diaphragmatic breathing, as it engages the diaphragm muscle right above your stomach and helps strengthen the lungs.
Stay Hydrated
While the association between breathing well and hydration might not be clear immediately, it is a fact that drinking sufficient amounts of water can significantly impact your ability to breathe well.
Your airways and lungs are coated with a mucous secretion, which aids the proper respiratory function of the lungs. Dehydration can result in the thickening of this mucous layer, which makes you prone to respiratory issues and allergies.
Your nasal linings, bronchial tubes, air passages, and lungs are all kept moist due to your body's water content. With every breathing movement, the moisture in your body is replaced with dry air, so it is important to maintain a healthy water intake to prevent the breathing organs from drying out.
Click here to learn even more about the importance of staying hydrated!
Quit Smoking
This cannot be emphasized enough. You can never breathe to your full potential if you are polluting your inner self by smoking.
You will observe about a 10% increase in your lung capacity within nine months of quitting this ever-so-toxic habit. Unfortunately, smoking can lead to all possible problems related to your lungs, starting from respiratory issues and ending with lung cancer. Need help? Read these tips about quitting bad habits!
Keep Your Home's Air Clean
What is your definition of a clean home?
A clean home is beyond clean furniture, scrubbed floors, and sparkling window panes.
Cleanliness is in the air! So that is where you need to put the effort in: purifying the air.
Stay conscious of what you are breathing. The ways you can do it differ depending on where you live. So, if you live in a rural area, this is easier to achieve.
But for those enjoying city life, here is your call to fold up your sleeves and start by taking small steps to make sure your house maintains its air standards.
To begin with, start by keeping plants. Plants are natural air purifiers that can filter and improve your home's air quality without spending money on other stuff.
They are valuable assets when it comes to adding style and finesse to your house decor, not to ignore the fact that gardening and keeping plants are the most popular stress relievers.
What else can you ask for… this is your call to bring in some greens and upgrade your house's air quality.
Don't forget to open up your windows when it's the right season and time, just to let in some fresh air.
You can also incorporate humidifiers and add essential oils to make your house more sanitary and clean. This is also a great way to make your home smell good.
Stretch And Improve Your Posture
Stretching has tons of benefits. One is that it helps open your abdomen and thus increases your lung capacity.
You lose your straight posture as you grow up, which highly reduces your lung capacity, resulting in compromised breathing ability.
Hence, it is really important to maintain the correct posture. To begin with, sit up straight and stretch your arms above your head. Now breathe. You'll feel the rush of air into your abdomen and how it increases your lung capacity.
Start doing it every day. Be mindful of how you sit and try to maintain an upright position. Trust me. Your body will thank you for this little effort.
Click here to read about 5 great stretches you can try today!
Eat Healthily
Eating the right amount of nutrition-rich foods can help keep your lungs healthy, which in turn helps improve the quality of your breathing.
This might not make sense to you for now. Still, a little understanding of how certain nutrients can help improve lung function will help you understand how important it is to eat healthily.
Compounds like carotenoids, including beta carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, are all known for their anti-inflammatory properties and are also powerful antioxidants.
They help clear away toxins from our blood, so greater amounts of such carotenoids in your blood ensure better lung function. Bell peppers, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, kale, mangoes, oranges, and spinach are some carotenoid-rich foods.
Awaken Your Inner Singer
Here comes the fun part. If you are a bathroom singer, you'll love to know that studies indicate singing can help improve lung capacity and a person's breathing ability.
So next time you feel the urge to sing, don't shy away and let your air pipes feel the air as you sing it in.
Practice Breathing Exercises
Did you know that most of us don't breathe to our full lung capacity? Apparently, we need to be trained to utilize our lungs to the max.
Your lungs consist of 3 compartments. Usually, most people only use the upper lobe as they are used to shallow breathing. Chest breathing or shallow breathing is a very common practice that results in poor lung capacity.
You need to invest time into sitting aside and using a couple of different techniques in order to engage your deepest lung core so as to ensure that you are utilizing these remarkable organs to their max.
You'll be amazed to know the number of breathing exercises available. Here, we have named a few for you to search and practice:
- Lion's breath
- Alternate nostril breathing
- Equal breathing
- Resonant or coherent breathing
- Sitali breath
- Pursed lip breathing
- Diaphragmatic breathing
- Breath focus technique
When it comes to health, the secret is mastering these little steps. If you are stressed about your deteriorating health and look forward to bringing a change, here is how you should start:
Sit Up Straight, Close Your Eyes,
Breathe In, Breathe Out.
Let us know in the comments below - What strategies have you tried to improve your breathing?
